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Stress relief is an art. It is an art because it is about taking charge. And when you are in charge, it becomes a lifestyle. The realization that you are in charge is the beginning of stress relief and management. Taking charge of all aspects related to stress like our thoughts, schedules emotions and how we deal with problems determines how well we manage stress in our lives. The fact is, stressors will always be there. Your responsibilities in your family and career won’t change and your bills will continue flowing yet our time remains constant.

Identifying Stressors In Your Life

Stressors are the things that cause you stress in life. They are the sources of stress in your life. The first step in managing stress is identifying the stressors. However, this is not always easy because some stressors are not always obvious. Some stressors are very easily overlooked. Many people find it hard to imagine that their own thoughts, behavior and feelings can be sources of stress in their lives. For example, if you are stressed because of deadlines, a closer scrutiny may reveal that the actual stressor isn’t your job demands but your procrastination. Your true stressors emanate from three aspects of your life: Attitude, Excuses and habits. It is also important to mention that whatever the stresors in our lives, we have a role in causing them. Until we accept and acknowledge this fact, the stress levels in our lives shall either escalate or at best remain the same.

Some of us shrug off the stress in our lives. We assume it is just a passing cloud. We assume it is normal or unexceptional, until we slump into the dungeon of depression. Others have simply taken ownership of stress! They have simply learned to live with it! There is also this group that has chosen the blame game. They blame their stress on others or on events.

Ever Thought Of Keeping A Stress Journal?

Keeping a stress journal can be very vital in identifying the stressors in your life. Through this journal, keep track of the regular stressors in your life and how you handle them. Record every moment you are stressed. With time, common patterns and themes will emerge. Record all the moments of stress, the causes, your physical and emotional feelings your response to the stress and the relief action that you took.

How Do You Currently Cope With Stress In Your Life?

Using your stress journal, you can be able to tell how you currently deal with stress. The strategies we apply in coping with stress can be healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unhelpful. It is quite unfortunate that most people apply strategies that worsen the problem.

Unhealthy Strategies Of Handling Stress

These strategies may seem to work in the short term. However, in the long run, they aggravate the problem, causing worse damage. They include drinking, smoking, overeating or undereating, withdrawal from friends and relatives, oversleeping, procrastination, using pills or laxative drugs, unleashing your stress on others and over-watching the telly or computer.

Healthy Stress Management Strategies

The methods you use to manage stress are supposed to contribute to your physical and emotional well being. If they are not, then it is time for change. You can change the situation, then change how you react to stressors. As you ponder about what to do, remember the four “a’s”. Thus, Adapt, Alter, Avoid and Acept. You can choose to avoid the stressor and if you can’t, you have the alternative of altering it. Likewise, you can choose to adapt or accept the stressor.

Stress Management Strategies

Here are some of the best stress management strategies that we can apply to manage our stress. -Create time for relaxation and fun. -Adopt a lifestyle that is healthy for you. -Accept the fact that there things you can never change.-Alter the situation so that it doesn’t occur again. -You can also adapt to the situation or stressor. -Try your best to avoid stressors in life.

In conclusion, life is about choices. The choices we make are responsible for the levels of stress in our lives. The more we make the wrong choices, the more stressed we become. The more we make the right choices, the less stressed we become. Our well being is solely dependent on us.